The Three of Them
by CuttySark
Summary: A story about Enterprise, Belfast, and Zuikaku trying to absolutely break destiny.
1. Weakness

**A/N: After finally catching up to the anime I've decided to make a more serious take on the universe compared to my more comedic first attempt.**

**The lore might be a bit different from canon, given that the story in the game isn't finished yet and it's mostly just theorycrafting by the community. Also the anime has their own bits of lore to add. Still, spoiler alert for those who haven't reached endgame yet.**

* * *

They were alone, surrounded by enemies. This was certainly not going as planned.

"Oh dear, what a troublesome girl." Belfast muttered under her breath, her voice completely drowned by the sound of ongoing storm. Pushing herself a little bit more, the light cruiser sped up and caught up to a certain girl that had caused her so much work lately.

"Miss Enterprise, please! We should wait for reinforcement!"

"There's no time." Said Enterprise. "The enemy force will flank our line if I can't stop them fast enough."

'If 'you' can't stop them? I'm here too, you know!' Belfast protested silently.

"Enemy incoming. Begin engagement." Enterprise said in a cold monotonous voice, and Belfast's irritation was temporarily forgotten as the rush of battle started filling her veins.

Enemy hulls began emerging from the horizon, red highlights contrasting the dark sky, approaching the two ships at incredible speed.

Soon the two forces clashed as Enterprise took the initial strike, immediately taking down one of the enemy cruisers. The enemy would lose three more before Belfast managed to reach firing range.

What happened for the next few minutes was a blur.

Shots being fired, bombs being dropped, torpedoes being launched, but no matter what, one thought persisted in the mind of the head maid of the Royal Navy.

"This is insane…"

What they were facing was a force that could wipe away an entire fleet. How could they hope to win with just two ships?

But she knew they're going to pull through. Enterprise would just push herself a little bit harder, break her body just a little bit more, erode her humanity just a little bit further.

A pang of sadness swayed over Belfast, and her enemy pounced at the chance. Suddenly she was faced with high caliber cannons at point blank range.

'Ah, so this is it.' Thought the head maid for a moment before a big flash happened in front of her…

...and then the enemy disappeared.

"Hm. You're getting sloppy." Enterprise chided.

Belfast raised her head and began analyzing her surroundings

They had won.

Belfast blinked a few times. there was no mistake, the enemy, all of them, had been either destroyed or incapacitated.

"You're wounded." Belfast said when she finally got a good look at Enterprise, her worries overcoming her surprise.

"This much blood is a fair price to pay for this kind of small victory, no?" Enterprise said calmly, wiping blood from her forehead.

"Small?" Belfast uttered in disbelief.

"This was probably just a scouting force. I will move on forward to confront the enemy's main fleet." Enterprise said with an eerie nonchalance.

"More fighting..?" Belfast almost laughed. What Enterprise had just said sounded so absurd in her ears.

"You should stay back." Enterprise said coldly.

Belfast took a moment to collect herself, then shook her head. "No, if I have to retreat, I'm bringing you with me."

"I'm not retreating." Enterprise said bluntly.

"Then I'll go with you."

"Huh? But at your level right now you're just going to make it harder for me."

Belfast suddenly felt as if her heart was being sliced apart

"Ah...I see."

Seeing Belfast suddenly losing all of her spirit, Enterprise sighed.

"Look, Out of all the people in the world, you're the least I want dead."

'Damning with faint praise now, are we?' Belfast thought.

"You are.. " Enterprise stuttered. "...you are the closest thing I have to a friend. I want you to survive."

"Okay…" Belfast said weakly, failing to find the energy to argue.

"T...that's great. Just go back to base, okay?"

Belfast nodded silently, and Enterprise slowly turned and began sailing away.

"Oh, and don't worry." She looked back, a smile on her face. "I'll actually make an effort to stay alive this time!"

She jested, but it was way too close to the truth for Belfast to find it in any way funny.

Soon, Enterprise had disappeared under the storm, leaving Belfast alone, standing among corpses.

"I'm not strong enough." She uttered silently, only witnessed by the dead hulks of her enemies.


	2. A Knight

"What." Zuikaku said blankly, as blank as her mind right now after a certain light cruiser had just made the most ridiculous request.

"Ah, should I repeat myself? I'm sorry, was I being unclear?" Belfast asked in her usual subservient manner, but even if Zuikaku was a dullard she'd be able to tell that Belfast did not think of herself as beneath her at all.

"I'm sorry. Not many places sell ear picks around this part of the world. I thought you've just asked me to watch over an angry ghost?" Zuikaku leaned forward on the sofa, fingers intertwined in front of her and squinting as if daring Belfast to confirm that Zuikaku's ears weren't in fact being devious.

"You're not wrong at all! I'm sure your ears are very well cleaned!"

What the heck with that smug face?

"Okay...say that I didn't think of what you're asking as absolutely insane...what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Why, I want you befriend her, of course." Belfast crossed her legs. Zuikaku was surprised about how easy Belfast could exert a queen-like aura while sitting on a cheap wooden chair and wearing the clothing of a servant.

"She doesn't seem to me as the befriending type." Zuikaku argued. "She's more of the 'We-are-just-war-machines-so-why-bother' type."

"Hm...she's not quite as you've described, but she does have this wall around her that not even her own sister could pierce."

"Then why me? You know I'm...was her enemy."

"She's not the type to hold grudges."

"Sorry but I do find that hard to believe."

"She really isn't. She does not see her enemy as a collection of individuals, but as a single entity. She does not see you as a rival in the same way a duelist would not see his opponent's fingers as enemies."

"O...oh." Zuikaku slumped. She had known for a long time that her feeling of rivalry was entirely one-sided. Still, being told so bluntly hurt a little.

"Now that you're no longer part of the Sakura Empire, instead of a finger you're now more akin to a discarded toenail of a nemesis."

Oy. Now that's just unnecessarily brutal.

"You're asking why I'm making this request to you specifically. To be honest, it's in no small part due to your stats."

"My...stats?" Zuikaku tilted her head inquisitively.

"You do understand that you and your sister are currently the second strongest ships in the Azur Lane?"

"Huh? I guess I am…"

Just last month Zuikaku's combat record had officially surpassed all of the Essex sisters. She had not done it on purpose, though. She was merely trying to reach Enterprise's level like usual. As some had said it, she had 'accidentally overleveled trying to reach god'.

"I would not ask this of your sister, however." Belfast added.

"Well, my sister can be a bit intense." Zuikaku said, instantly catching on to what the maid was implying.

"If when you said intense you meant absolutely psychopathic, then yes."

Zuikaku smiled awkwardly. Out of all the people joining Lady Mikasa's 'New Empire' movement Shoukaku's loyalty was probably the most suspect. She probably only stayed because she wanted to fight the First CarDiv. Well, it's not like Zuikaku was unfamiliar with that particular type of obsession.

"When the Grey Ghost enters a battle, she is like a typhoon, blowing apart anything and everything around her." Belfast continued. "I have tried to stay by her side, to reach the eye of the storm. Alas, my body has reached its limit, and I'm afraid that it won't be long before I too will be blown away."

"Er...what?"

This Irish servant of the Royal Navy sure had a way with language.

"I'm saying that I can't keep up." Belfast said, her voice so full of regret that Zuikaku could feel her heart getting heavier " When we're on land, when I am close enough to touch her, I can help, I can heal. But when the galloping ghost trots into danger that can wipe a continent, alone, ignoring the very concept of a task force and abandoning her own escort...no matter how hard I push myself, no matter how far my hand reach, I cannot even be near enough to gaze upon her back." Belfast said while looking at the palm of her hand. The way her face looked, it's like she was being disgusted by her own weakness.

"You really care about her, huh?" Zuikaku said somewhat off-handedly, though she'd be lying if she said her heart wasn't moved a little.

"I cherish her." Belfast smiled, and the way she smiled instantly made Zuikaku think that she saw Enterprise as more than a mere friend. "I cherish her so much that I must be strong enough to accept that I cannot save her alone."

"Save her? You speak as if the Ghost was a mere damsel."

"Oh, but she is locked in a cage right now. A cage from whence she has no hope of escaping. A cage made of her own regret and self-hate. Hence why I am recruiting a knight...or perhaps a samurai."

The eyes of both Zuikaku and Belfast darted towards the edge of the sofa where Zuikaku's sword was leaning against the armrest.

"Well, you're not exactly my liege."

Belfast nodded. "Indeed, I am not your liege, and I have no power to force you to do anything. This is a request, nothing more, nothing less. You are free to heed my plea, or to keep your ears shut."

Silence fell, and Zuikaku realized that Belfast was expecting an answer from her. However, Zuikaku was the kind of person that held every promise sacred.

"I'm sorry, but I must think about this."

"Of course, madame." Belfast said, bowing her head slightly in a very maid-like manner, though Zuikaku could just barely tell that she's a little disappointed.

"I...I will retire for tonight, if you don't mind."

"Have a good night, madame."

Then, as if the entire conversation had not happened, Zuikaku took up her sword and left the room.

Finding herself just outside of Belfast's room, Zuikaku stopped and brought her sheathed sword to her face and drew it ever so slightly, revealing her own brown eyes reflected by well polished steel.

"...a knight, huh?"


	3. A Nightmare

'Oh, flip I'm in hell.'

That was her first thought when she saw the landscape before her.

A shallow sea of thick red water surrounded her, all the way to the horizon, Illuminated by a blood red moon sitting dead on the velvet black sky. Nothing else was in view. No buildings, no humans, not a single speck of civilization, just an endless field of glowing red water.

"If this is a dream, this is a very uncreative dream, as expected of my brain."

Just as she mumbled her opinion out loud the ground began to shake, and from the water, which was supposed to be only ankle deep judging by Zuikaku's submerged feet, things began to emerge.

Steel hulks of black, dead warships stood vertically on the water, as if frozen in time in the middle of sinking. Zuikaku immediately recognized them as siren ships.

"Okay, perhaps my brain…"

Zuikaku was about to say something snarky when other 'things' began to float to the surface.

They were bodies. Familiar bodies floating on the water, dead and lifeless, grouping together like the corpses of fish after an ecological disaster. She could see the carcasses of her former comrades from the empire, bloodied and battered, their faces locked in a permanent state of shock. It was as if they were still alive, forever tormented. Among them the bodies of Kaga and Akagi stood out, what remained of their magnificent tails now burnt and sogged by blood.

Amongst the bodies, the elegant clothes of the Royal soldiers were almost indistinguishable from the kimono-wearing bodies in the water. Like trash washed by the waves to the shore, their bodies had been piled up high like a mountain of rotting meat. At the top of the pile she could see Belfast's body, her eyes open and empty. A sad end for the elegant maid.

Empire, Ironblood, Union, Royal, Radiance...their corpses all looked similar when half submerged in a sea of blood. For some reason Zuikaku began looking for the body of the Grey Ghost, yet she couldn't find it.

Zuikaku began to feel like she's about to throw up, but then she reminded herself that she's just asleep.

"It's okay. This is just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon." Zuikaku mumbled to herself, but unexpectedly a voice responded.

**NOT A NIGHTMARE, BUT A PROPHECY**

"W...what..?" Zuikaku looked around, futilely trying to discern the source of the voice, but the voice, no, the screaming sounded like it came from everywhere at once. Slow, guttural, yet still unmistakably feminine.

**YOUR KIND BEGET SIRENS, SIRENS BEGET YOU, AND THUS SO FOR ETERNITY, RUNNING THROUGH AN ENDLESS LOOP**

"Stop…" Zuikaku fell on her knees, clutching her head. How could a voice be this loud? Not even Lady Nagato's full salvo was this loud!

**ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED AND WILL HAPPEN DO SO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GREAT PLAN. AN UNBREAKABLE SIMULATION OF PREDETERMINED VARIABLES. A CIRCULAR RAIL WITH NO WAY OUT, A STORY THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN. BUT YOU ARE DIFFERENT**

"Just let me wake up…'" Zuikaku's head felt painful. You're not supposed to feel pain in a dream, so this was probably a bad sign.

**O WILD SOUL, FIND THE KEY, BREAK THE VARIABLES. LET THE HANDS OF THE FATES COWER BEFORE YOUR SWORD**

"Oh, shut up. I don't care. I'm going to forget all this when I wake up anyway…" Zuikaku answered the sky-voice in a somewhat cheeky manner, still convinced that everything was just a mere dream.

**NO. I WILL NOT LET YOU FORGET. NOT AFTER WAITING FOR SO MANY CYCLES**

Zuikaku tried to ignore the voice, focusing her mind to reach her slumbering body.

"Eyes...open!"

Zuikaku opened her eyes and awakened to the sight of a familiar ceiling. She was a little concerned about the feeling of something hitting her chest repeatedly before realizing it was her own heart beating like crazy.

"Whew...that was strange…guh!?"

A wave of pain assaulted Zuikaku's head, almost forcing her to curl into a ball.

**I WILL NOT LET YOU FORGET.**

"Okay, okay." Zuikaku whispered through her gritted teeth, and the pain subsided.

**FIND THE KEY, WILD ONE**

"Ugh...why do deities always feel the need to talk cryptically? I wonder if I should tell someone…ouch!"

The voice didn't even bother to respond this time, only sending another wave of pain.

" Okay, I get it. It's a secret."

Zuikaku was waiting for another response when she realized her nose was bleeding.

"Really not the greatest morning I've ever had…" She muttered.


	4. Look Behind

"Before we take care of you, meow, tell me, do you have insurance or would you rather use personal payment?"

"What." Zuikaku gave her best confused look to the diminutive green haired cat girl in front of her.

"Akashi! This is not that kind of establishment!" Another girl in a dress that reminded Zuikaku of a nun habit interjected from the back of the room with a loud voice.

"Damn, caught again, meow."

Vestal had emerged from behind a series of curtains that Zuikaku assumed led to the sickbeds. She looked tired, but still smiling. Zuikaku was not sure if she should feel welcomed or guilty.

"What seemed to be the prob-you're bleeding!"

"Oh, so you've noticed?"

Since Zuikaku had immediately left for the infirmary and had not bothered to grab a towel or anything of the sort her blood had now started dripping onto her chest. It was a rather gruesome sight.

"Don't you try to be smart with me child! Tell me what happened!" The old veteran barked as she moved closer and began examining Zuikaku, pulling Zuikaku's shoulders down so that they stood eye to eye.

"I think I've burst a blood vessel...in my brain."

"What?! How?!"

"Er.. busted my head sleeping?"

It was as honest as Zuikaku could afford for now.

"You are lying to me, young one, but I have no time for interrogation. Get inside and take a bed. I'm going to grab my tools."

Vestal turned around and left, leaving Zuikaku with Akashi.

"Would you like to buy a towel, meow?" The cat asked.

"Towels have already been paid for by the government!" Vestal shouted from somewhere.

"Meowr." Akashi punched her own hand in irritation.

Ignoring that sad attempt at scamming, Zuikaku walked towards the back of the room and ducked behind a curtain, finding herself a clean bed.

"Towel, Meow." Akashi, clearly still annoyed, approached from behind and handed Zuikaku a puffy looking red towel. Must be recently laundered. Its color was perfect to wipe away blood, too. How considerate.

"Thanks." Zuikaku bowed. Well, she tried to, but then blood started dripping to the floor and she ceased her attempt.

"Whatever, meow."

After Akashi had left, Zuikaku took a seat on the bed and began wiping away her blood until it had stopped dripping.

'Ah, peace and quiet at last.' She thought.

And just as she thought that she heard a familiar voice singing from the stall next to her, separated only by a single curtain. If Zuikaku remembered it right it was the bed Vestal had been attending to when Zuikaku arrived.

Idir ann is idir as

Idir thuaidh is idir theas

Idir thiar is idir thoir

Idir am is idir áit

Casann sí dhom

It was a lullaby, that much Zuikaku was certain, but the language was unfamiliar to her.

"Belfast?" Zuikaku whispered the name of the person she was sure was sitting just beyond the curtain.

"Amhrán na farraige…you can come in, Miss Zuikaku, but please be quiet."

Zuikaku didn't actually want to...but now that she had been invited, she felt like it'd be rude to refuse.

She walked through the curtain and immediately saw who Belfast was singing a lullaby to.

Belfast was sitting at the edge of the bed, which was not at all unusual, but she's also giving a lap pillow to a person Zuikaku had never pictured being given a lap pillow.

Enterprise was sleeping on her back, using Belfast's garter-wrapped thighs as head support. She looked so peaceful that Zuikaku could barely recognize her.

"She looks so cute when she's not being so hard on herself, don't you think?" Belfast whispered before she continued her lullaby, brushing the edge of Enterprise's forehead with her bare hand. Her discarded gloves could be seen nearby on the bed.

Suaimhneach nó ciúin

Ag cuardú go damanta

Mo ghrá

Idir gaoth is idir tonn

Idir tuilleadh is idir gann

Casann sí dhom

Amhrán na Farraige

Suaimhneach nó ciúin

Ag cuardú go damanta

"That's not English." Zuikaku said in a moment of banal observance.

"My country isn't just England, you know." Belfast answered, sounding a little annoyed.

"Either way, it's beautiful." Zuikaku whispered, trying not to wake the spectre.

"Thank you." Belfast received the compliment gracefully, as if she had expected it. "This girl hates the sea, so I thought a song about the beauty of the sea would help...perhaps I should learn some songs in English." She said, more to herself than to Zuikaku. "Tell me, have you ever expected this girl to make this kind of face?"

Belfast's word prompted Zuikaku to take a closer look at Enterprise.

The ghost was, as best as words could describe it, unguarded. Her hands lay limp by her side, completely opening her chest and torso to attack. Her eyes were completely shut, with her mouth slightly open. Her neck was also completely visible. Zuikaku suspected that it'd be easy to smother her with a pillow or to stab her in the neck right now.

"No, I can't say that I've ever imagined her being this...peaceful "

Belfast smiled while she continued stroking Enterprise's hair. "She would only show this face to a few select people. I consider seeing her this unguarded as a privilege." Belfast said, and Zuikaku suddenly felt as if she was trespassing.

"I could leave if you want." Zuikaku offered, but Belfast shook her head.

"No, I want you to see."

"See what?"

"I want you to see how fragile she actually is." Belfast moved her hand and began to gently stroke Enterprise's chin. "Look at her. Her body is already so tired that she won't wake up no matter how loud we are being. Yet she'll keep on fighting. Her mind can no longer comprehend anything else."

Belfast turned to Zuikaku, trying futilely to hide her sadness.

"Keep on like this and she will forget why she's fighting in the first place. She will battle for battle's sake, like a mere automaton. She will be a pure war machine. Strong, ruthless…" She looked at Enterprise's sleeping face again. "...heartless, empty."

She turned to Zuikaku again, but unexpectedly, Zuikaku's face was unmoved. Instead she crossed her arms and tilted her head like she's looking at a museum piece.

"Isn't that easy? Just tell her to look behind her."

"W...what?" Belfast stuttered. The rare look of confusion finally graced her face.

"Look behind you. Look at the path you have travelled and the people that have helped you, whether dead or alive look further behind and remember your home, the people that let you fight in the first place. Give thanks everyday to the farmers that make your foods, the workers that make your tools, and the children that one day will salute at your grave. That's how I make do." Zuikaku finished with a shrug. Her words were obvious and weightless, delivered without burden, so much so that they made Belfast feel silly for ever worrying about anything ever.

After an awkward pause, Belfast was suddenly unable to hold back a chuckle.

"Fu...I guess I've chosen the right person after all." She said, putting one hand over her mouth as to not wake the girl sleeping on her lap.

"Right…" Zuikaku bit her lip, obviously thinking about something. "I guess I'll do it."

"Hm?"

"Your request. I'll do it. But only because you've asked me nicely. I'm certainly not doing it for her."

Belfast looked surprised at first, but her smile quickly returned.

"Oh? Is this what your people refer to as a 'tsundere'?"

"A what?" It was clearly a word in her language, but Zuikaku was unfamiliar with the term

"Nothing." Belfast smiled knowingly.

Suddenly, a voice called from behind Zuikaku.

"Miss Zuikaku! What are you doing?! Get back to bed!"

It appeared that Vestal had returned.

"Well, give my regards to the ghost once she's awake." Zuikaku said before disappearing behind the curtain, leaving Belfast to continue pampering the sleeping Enterprise.

"It seems like you've actually had a good friend all this time, huh?"


	5. I Deny Your Suicidal Tendency

"Ma'am, please! You can't do this alone!" Belfast begged, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"We have no choice, we're the closest."

'We're the closest because you kept insisting on taking the most risky patrol routes!' Belfast almost shouted out loud, only held back by her deeply ingrained sense of decorum.

"It's okay...my body can handle one more fight."

This was a lie. Even if it were not so it would only be a matter of time before her body broke down.

"Don't worry, we'll make it out of here victorious." Enterprise turned and smile. " After all, I have you by my side."

Belfast felt her face warming, but even now she felt her body straining just trying to keep up with the expectation that the Ghost had placed upon her.

"The convoy that sent the distress signal is carrying important, high ranked personnel. We cannot allow them to fall."

Belfast was about to argue. She was very close to pointing out that human personnel could always be replaced before she realized how uncharacteristically cruel such statement would be.

Seeing the futility of debating the closest thing on the sea to the personification of death itself, Belfast sighed.

"Very well, ma'am, I shall comply."

And just after she said that, Belfast felt one of her knees gave out. Belfast stumbled forward, and with a massive splash she fell into the water, her poise and elegance instantly evaporated in a tangle of limbs.

"Ah!" Belfast gasped for air when she felt a hand dragging her out of the water. It was a bruised yet strong hand.

"I guess it really is too much to ask, huh?" Enterprise smiled sadly. The disappointment behind that smile sliced Belfast's heart worse than any knife.

"You should retreat and rest." Enterprise said, almost parroting what Belfast had constantly said to her these last few months.

"Ma'am, please…" Belfast was about to say one last appeal, but Enterprise stopped her, her face suddenly hardened as she looked towards the horizon.

"You see that? Smoke."

Indeed, multiple pillars of black smoke were rising from the horizon. Characteristic of a long over naval battle.

Enterprise and Belfast looked at each other and nodded, before proceeding ahead silently until they reached the source of the smoke.

It was a massacre.

There were bodies everywhere...yet none of them belongs to any friendlies.

"All these dead sirens...how?" Belfast wondered out loud, sailing carefully to avoid touching the corpses of the few humanoid sirens floating on the water.

"An entire fleet destroyed…" Enterprise's whisper was filled with both approval and surprise, with a hint of familiarity.

"It's almost as if I'm walking into the aftermath of one of your battles, ma'am."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

And then, behind the smoke of carnage and death, the two ships suddenly came upon a certain familiar figure clad in red.

Zuikaku stood silently upon the calm water, her back towards them with eyes looking up mournfully to the sky. Her sword was in hand, leaking ichor and blood. Some of it her own, judging by the state of her tattered clothes. Her exposed skin revealed ghastly wounds and torn flesh, freely leaking rust colored blood into the sea.

"Grey Ghost." she called, not bothering to avert her eyes from the sky.

"Crane." Enterprise answered, sounding unusually confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just trying the method of the great Enterprise on the field."

"My...method?"

"Yeah, your method." Zuikaku said, finally removing her gaze from the clear blue sky and moved it towards her one-sided rival. "Specifically, I'm trying to become an inconsiderate, suicidal, and SOCIALLY DEAD BITCH, you know, since it seems to be working very well for you."

The uncensored and straightforward string of insults hit both Enterprise and Belfast harder than any shell.

"Wha...what?" Enterprise stuttered. It was safe to say that she had not felt this confused since a very long time.

"Man, my sister is probably crying in worry right now." Zuikaku shook her head, dropping massive beads of blood onto her ample chest. "Say, Ghost, do you have anyone that would cry for you?"

Enterprise didn't answer.

"Ah, nevermind that. Anyway, the entire sector is clear. You can check on that convoy of yours if you want." Zuikaku said her words nonchalantly as she walked past Belfast and Enterprise, brushing off the confused protest of the latter.

"How did you get here before us?"

"Parachute." Zuikaku said matter-of-factly before turning to face Enterprise again. "Oh, one more thing, Ghost. I've sent a request to take over all of your patrol routes, a request that I fully expect to be approved." She said, giving an unsubtle wink towards Belfast.

"You...did what?" Enterprise said with eyebrows raised. It was quite a novel look on her face.

"I expect you'd have the entire month free. Might want to use the time to take your girlfriend on a vacation or something."

"What." Enterprise asked flatly at Zuikaku, who had resumed to sail away.

"Welp, later then, _wankers."_

The carrier waved before she suddenly dashed away at full speed, presumably back towards to base, leaking blood all the way.

"W...wha.. Did she just say 'wanker'?" Enterprise said as she watched the receding back of the Sakura carrier. In the confusion of a million questions running through her head, her mind just fizzled out and chose that particular one to utter.

"I believe she did, ma'am." Said Belfast.

"And what did she mean 'girlfriend'?"

"I believe she meant me, ma'am." Belfast said with an elegant, stoic face.

"What."

"It appears that Miss Zuikaku have mistaken the nature of our relationship, ma'am. Though this one must say that she would not mind a dinner or two."

She smiled elegantly.

Enterprise simply rubbed the bridge of her nose in abject frustration. It felt like, for the first time in forever, the stress of combat was finally getting into her.

"I don't even know what's going on anymore." She finally said in defeat. "Let's just go check on that convoy."

"Of course, ma'am."

The maid bowed, pointing her head towards the sea and expertly hiding the inelegant smile that had started forming on her face.


	6. Kill

_Hello Commander, In light of the recent Siren incursion, this council of nations has convened to approve the activation of the Azur Lane Project. You have been chosen to lead this initiative. To oversee our first... and last line of defense. Your efforts will have considerable influence on this planet's future. We urge you to keep that in mind as you proceed. Good luck, Commander._

"Why the long face?" Amazon called

The lady in front of her removed her gaze from the sea and turned to answer.

"Ah, teach."

"Don't call me that. Technically you're my boss now, commander."

"Hm. Very well, Amazon." The so called commander relented, addressing the much older girl with unfamiliar casualness.

"Nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, as far as i care you've already proven yourself."

"I wonder why the previous commander got demoted."

"Not demoted. Retired. I heard he went insane."

"What."

"This job can be rather stressful."

"Well, now that really calms me down. Thanks."

"Hey, you'll be fine. Want some Jaffa?"

The experimental destroyer produced a serving of the jelly filled confectionery from behind her cloak.

'Thanks…"

But before she could take the thing from her former mentor's hand, an explosion shook the freighter they were on, and the raid alarm started blaring.

"Ambush?!"

"Get back to the cabin!" Amazon shouted, jumping off onto the sea.

The newly appointed commander desperately tried to get a bearing on her surroundings. The fog of war was thick, and she carried no communication equipment, but she could tell the situation was bad. She could see explosions and heard thunder as the defending ships clashed with the Siren ambuscade.

She was running for what passed for a war room in the freighter when something jumped out of the sea and landed right in front of her.

It was in the visage of a tall woman, but with slimy grey skin that looked like it belonged on a deep sea fish. Its head was massive, with cannons lining up the forehead. It was almost comical if it were not so deadly.

"_Key variable found. Beginning extermination._"

The creature spoke, pointing its cannons at the commander. But then it looked up…

"KAMIKAZEEEEEE!"

something gleaming red suddenly dropped from the sky. It fell on the Siren and promptly dragged it back over the railing and onto the sea in a single explosive movement.

"_WARNING. UNPLANNED VARIABLE."_

Massive explosions and death ensued. The commander looked in awe as the red comet sent barrages of red energy from her sword over and over in a show of aggression and relentlessness that rivalled an angry bull. Those that managed to get close were cut in exactly seven slashes, done in a fraction of a second.

" You're not even worth a hair strand from the grey ghost! Die!"

Even with her flimsy human eyes, the commander knew they were being attacked by an entire fleet, but they all just melted under the assault of the red comet. All the other warriors on the sea couldn't keep up, and the commander saw Amazon just standing still, staring with her mouth agape, suddenly finding herself jobless.

As she watched the carnage, one thought crossed the commander's mind.

_I'm supposed to command that?_


End file.
